in parts, but not so much as a whole. There are some really brilliant moments on this album, but then there's others that are just conceptual noodling. It plays better when broken up into song cycles than it does as a whole, or as individual songs.
As far as his rapping is concerned, he's really doing some incredible things with tone and structure. You can tell he puts a lot of thought into the way he approaches the songs, and for that I'm pretty thankful regardless of how I feel about said verses at any time.
It's funny that it reminds me of a less focused version of Joey Badass' album, but with a bigger budget. I think what makes the great parts so great is that this seems to be the album he actually wanted to make the first time out, at least in spirit.
The producers (especially Taz Arnold and Pharrell) did some really diverse but sonically cohesive work, but there's something missing for me. I don't think it's a "it needs more ____ and less ____" thing but it's something I can't put my finger on.
Also, you almost have to lose points for having Pete Rock on your album and not getting a beat in the deal.